Time to leave
It's time for them to leave. For ever.
Akhil Chandra Barman, 44, has already sold two bighas of cropland, a bamboo garden and his house.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. He, his wife and children are leaving for India on Monday. They have already got travel passes from Indian authorities.
“Everyone in my family is waiting to settle in India,” he said.
Like Akhil, others in Banshkata village of Patgram upazila are also arranging for selling their properties. Many, however, are complaining about poor prices.
Yadav Chandra Roy, 29, another travel pass holder in the same village, also sold his homestead, 20 decimal of land with six trees for Tk 1,85,000.
Sudhir Chandra Barman, 55, said, "I have yet to sell my three bighas of land, but I have sold ten trees at a low rate." He is supposed to leave for India on November 12 along with his family.
These enclave dwellers are planning to carry all their furniture, utensils and other movable assets to India.
"We have completed our preparations for crossing the border into India," said Yadav's wife Ramita Rani, adding they will carry some movable assets like clothes, cots and furniture.
A total of 979 people from 111 former Indian enclaves in Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Panchagarh districts opted to be Indian nationals and travel passes were given to them by Indian authorities.
Of them, 197 travel pass holders are from Lalmonirhat district.
District Administration sources said 96 men and 101 women from seven former enclaves in Patgram and Hatiband upazilas of the district got their travel passes from Indian authorities.
In the first batch, 34 people of 10 families will leave on Monday while the rest will leave in two other batches on November 12 and November 26.
Noor Qutubul Alam, upazila nirbahi officer of Patgram, said some travel pass holders from the district would go to India through Burimari-Changrabandha immigration route.
Habibur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Lalmonirhat, said, "All necessary steps have already been taken for sending the travel pass holders along with their movable assets to India."
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